Richard Garth

Sir Richard Garth PC KC (11 May 1820 – 23 March 1903) was member of parliament for Guildford from 1866 to 1868 and Chief Justice of Bengal in colonial India from 1875 to 1886.

Early life Garth was born Richard Lowndes at Morden, Surrey (now south-west London), the son of the Reverend Richard Lowndes (1790 – 30 January 1862) and his wife Mary Lowndes (née Douglas). Rev. Lowndes was, through his mother, the grandson of Richard Garth (d. 1787), Lord of the manor of Morden. On the death of his mother, the Rev. Lowndes inherited the manor and, in accordance with the requirements of his grandfather's will, he changed his and his family's surname to Garth by royal licence in 1837.

Garth was educated at Eton College and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1838, graduating B.A. in 1842 and M.A. in 1845. He was captain of the university cricket team in 1840 and 1841. He received his MA from Oxford in June 1845.

A student at Lincoln's Inn from 1842, he became a barrister there on 19 November 1847. He was also instrumental in the early planning of parts of Raynes Park, on land he owned in the neighbouring parish of Merton.

Garth practised commercial law in London, often appearing at the Guildhall. and, two days later, became a bencher of Lincoln's Inn. replacing Sir William Bovill. His period as an MP ended at the 1868 general election when, as a consequence of the 1867 Reform Act, Guildford's second parliamentary seat was abolished.

In India On 6 April 1875, Garth was made Chief Justice of Bengal. He received a knighthood on 13 May 1875. Garth's legal opinions often brought him into conflict with the Indian and Bengal administrations, particularly with the Viceroy, the Marquess of Ripon, over the Bengal Tenancy Act and the Criminal Procedure Code Amendment Bill (the Ilbert Bill), both of which Garth publicly opposed.

Although he had opposed legislation which would have brought the legal rights of whites and Indians closer together, Garth was a supporter of the Indian National Congress and, in 1888, wrote a pamphlet A Few Plain Truths about India in support of the organisation's aims stating, "for myself I have long been persuaded that many of the abuses complained of are real and serious; and that some of the proposed reforms would be not only of advantage to India, but would materially strengthen the hands of the Government."

Later life and death On 21 February 1888, Garth was appointed a Privy Counsellor. He died on 23 March 1903 at 10 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, only weeks after his wife.

Family On 27 June 1847, Garth married his cousin Clara Lowndes (1824–1903), daughter of Loftus Lowndes, QC.

The Garths had seven children: Richard Garth, b. 1848 George Douglas Garth, 1852–1900 William Garth, b. 1854 Charles Garth, b. 1870 Mary Eliza Garth, d. 1932 Helen Frances Garth Evelyn Selina May Garth